Deicing and snow melting compositions and methods of use

ABSTRACT

A deicing and snow melting device, for elevating the melting point of ice and snow, comprises of a plurality of pellets including an active ingredient. Each pellet of the plurality of pellets has at least an underside and a topside. The active ingredient is selected from the group consisting of chloride salts, organic compounds, alcohols or mixtures thereof. A base comprising a water-soluble sheet is joined to either one of the underside or topside of each pellet of the plurality of pellets. The base may define at least one hole through a top surface and bottom surface of the base allowing for easy dispersion of the active ingredient

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for safely andconveniently melting ice and snow from surfaces, including driveways,walkways and roads, as well as the roofs of buildings and vehicles.

INTRODUCTION

The most common method of removing snow and ice from, e.g., a drivewayis through the use of shovels. However, this method is verytime-consuming, physically difficult and potentially dangerous to theshoveler's health. Another method includes the use of a plow. However,plows are expensive to own, so people usually hire a plowing service ona per snowfall basis—but this can be costly, and there is no guaranteewhen (or if) the snow plow will plow the driveway. Moreover, plows maynot be able to remove all the snow and ice, so that a very thin layermay remain—which may then freeze, leading to hazardous conditions.Further, as most plows are attached to vehicles, and most vehicles burngasoline and use oil, the use of plows is not the mostenvironmentally-friendly method of removing snow. A third method ofremoving ice and snow involves chemical removal, such as by spreadingone or more types of chloride salt. However, while chloride salts arerelatively inexpensive, in large amounts they can be harmful to thesoil, may kill lawns and other plant life and may be corrosive to metalobjects (such as vehicles). Moreover, it can be difficult to uniformlyspread chloride salts evenly across a surface; rather, the chloridesalts can clump together in piles across the surface. A fourth methodinvolves the use of heat, such as through the installation of heatingelements under a driveway in order to heat the driveway and melt snowand ice. However, such a method may require an installation thatinvolves destroying an existing driveway and can be very expensive (interms of both energy use and installation costs).

Liquid compositions that include potassium acetate to deice planes atairports may be used; however, such compositions must be sprayed on theplanes in great quantities and so they are inconvenient to store and usein residential, commercial and vehicular applications.

Therefore, an inexpensive, environmentally-friendly and safe compositionthat could be easily and quickly deployed in order to melt snow and icefrom various surfaces would advance the art.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention address these and otherdeficiencies by providing a device comprising i) a plurality of pelletsthat each comprise at least one active ingredient, and ii) a basecomprising water-soluble film-forming material(s), wherein the pluralityof pellets is attached to the base.

The active ingredient in the pellets is preferably potassium acetate;however, the active ingredient may also include one or more (eitheralone or combined with potassium acetate) of any compound that is known,either now or in the future, to melt snow and ice. While potassiumacetate is especially preferred, other preferred compounds includechloride salts, such as sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calciumchloride and potassium chloride; organic compounds, such as calciummagnesium acetate, potassium acetate, potassium formate, calciumformate, urea and agricultural by-products; or alcohols, diols andpolyols, such as methanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol andglycerol; and any derivatives thereof. Other ingredients that may beincluded in the pellets include water; corrosion inhibitors such astriazoles (including tolytriazole, benzyltriazole and benzotriazole),alcohols (including propargyl alcohol), nitrites (including sodiumnitrite), nitrates (including sodium nitrate), silicate salts (includingsodium silicate and potassium silicate), various other inorganics(including potassium phosphate and borax), various other organics(including sodium benzoate, phosphate esters and thiourea), andethanolamines (including monoethanolamine, diethanolamine andtriethanolamine); coloring agents of any color (including red, orange,yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, white, brown, black and grey, aswell as shades, hues and tints thereof) and various other excipientssuch as glidants, binders and lubricants. In some embodiments, thepellets may include ingredients such as acrylic acid polymers, naturalgums, alcohol ethoxylates, alkylbenzene sulfonates, alkylphenolethoxylates, alkylphenols, diamines, polyethylene oxide monomers,polyethylene oxide polymers. In some embodiments, the pellets mayinclude pH buffers (including phosphate-based pH buffers); pH reducers;antifoaming agents (including silicones); hydrophobic agents; solvents(including various alcohols); plasticizers; degradation agents andemulsifiers. In a preferred embodiment, potassium acetate is the onlyingredient in the pellet. It is envisioned that all the pellets in adevice have either the same, or different, compositions.

The pellets are preferably formed through a compression techniquewhereby the ingredients are combined and then compressed in acompression machine, such as a tablet press and the like; if there isonly one ingredient, then that ingredient is compressed in a compressionmachine, such as a tablet press and the like. However, the pellets mayalso comprise granules, spheres or cores comprising the ingredient(s),wherein the granules, spheres or cores are encapsulated.

The base may be any material that dissolves in water, includingmaterials such as gelatin, certain papers such as certain rice papers,and various polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol. Such water-solublematerial may also form the encapsulation material if the pellet isformed of encapsulated granules, spheres or cores. The base (orencapsulation material) may include excipients known to those in theart, including coloring agents of any color (including red, orange,yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, as well as shades, hues andtints thereof) and various other excipients such as glidants andlubricants; a particularly preferred excipient is a thickener, such asgluten, sugars or starches.

The pellets may be affixed to the base by any method known to those inthe art. For example, the base may be formed as a sheet (either a solidsheet or a sheet with cutouts, where such cutouts may be made with ahole puncher, laser, or by any other method known to those in the art,so that it has the appearance of, e.g., being woven). The pellets maythen be disposed between two layers of sheets (with the sheets adheredto each other by any known means, such as through acceptable adhesivessuch as organic glues, laser adhesion, or heat sealing). The pellets mayalso be applied to the sheet while the sheet is in a semi-molten form,e.g., while being produced—the pellets are therefore embedded in thesheet.

The pellets may also include one or more center or off-center holeswhereby ribbons of the base are interwoven between the plurality ofpellets.

It is also possible that the ingredients are not compressed orencapsulated into pellet form. In this instance, the various ingredientsare mixed together and then mixed with a solution of the base (if onlyone ingredient, it is mixed with a solution of the base); the resultingsolution is then formed into sheets and cooled. Alternatively, thevarious ingredients are mixed together and then, while the base issemi-molten and being formed into a sheet, the ingredients (or thesingle ingredient) are sprinkled over the base. In these two ways, theingredients are embedded throughout the base sheet. In anotherembodiment, an acceptable adhesive is applied to the base and then theingredients are sprinkled over the base and, therefore, adhere to thebase. In some embodiments, pellets may be affixed or secured to a basewherein the base has the active ingredient either embedded in or adheredthereto.

In some embodiments, the pellets have a thickness of between about0.01-24 inches, preferably about 0.02-20 inches, more preferably about0.03-18 inches. In some embodiments, the pellets have a thickness ofbetween about 0.1 inches and 2 inches, preferably about 0.2 inches and1.5 inches, even more preferably between about 0.25 inches and 1 inch.In some embodiments, the pellets may have a thickness of about 0.1inches, about 0.125 inches, about 0.2 inches, about 0.25 inches, about0.3 inches, about 0.375 inches, about 0.4 inches, about 0.5 inches,about 0.6 inches, about 0.625 inches, about 0.7 inches, about 0.75inches, about 0.8 inches, about 0.875 inches, about 0.9 inches, and/orabout 1.0 inches; in some embodiments, the pellets may have a thicknessin a range of between any of these values. It is envisioned that all thepellets in a device have either the same, or different, thicknesses. Insome embodiments, the pellets have a length and width (or diameter,depending on the pellet shape) that are the same or different from eachother (and from the thickness). In some embodiments, the length and/orwidth (or diameter, depending on the pellet shape) is from about 0.5-12inches, preferably about 1-9 inches, more preferably about 1.5-6 inches,even more preferably about 2-5 inches, yet even more preferably about2-4 inches, and most preferably about 2-3 inches. In some embodiments,the length and/or width (or diameter, depending on the pellet shape) isabout 2 inches, about 2.5 inches or about 3 inches; about 2.5 inches ismost preferred. It is envisioned that all the pellets in a device haveeither the same, or different, lengths and/or widths (or diameters,depending on the shape).

In the instance where the base is formed as a sheet or from interwovenribbons, the sheet or ribbons may include perforations at regularintervals so that a device may be cut into smaller dimensions. Suchperforations may be made with a hole puncher, laser, or by any othermethod known to those in the art. In one embodiment, a device has anoverall length of about 10-80 feet, preferably about 20-70 feet, morepreferably about 30-60 feet, even more preferably about 40 feet. In thesame or a different embodiment, a device has width-wide perforations atabout every 6-36 inches, preferably at about every 12-24 inches, morepreferably at about every 15 inches.

In some instances, the device is sized to fit the width of a sidewalk orvehicle. Several such devices may be used to fit the width of adriveway. In one embodiment, a device has a width of about 6-36 inches,preferably about 12-24 inches, more preferably about 12-18 inches. Inthe same or a different embodiment, a device has a length of about 6-48inches, preferably about 12-36 inches, more preferably about 18-36inches, even more preferably about 24 inches.

In some embodiments, the device may include a relatively rigid skeleton(such as an outer border or internal support structures, or acombination of both) to enable easy handling. In these embodiments, theskeleton should be comprised of any material that dissolves in water,including materials such as gelatin, certain papers such as certain ricepapers, and various polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol; however, suchmaterials need to be prepared so that they exhibit sufficient rigidityto allow for easy handling and manipulation. In some embodiments, theskeleton comprises a polyvinyl alcohol that is thicker (and, therefore,has a higher tensile strength) than the polyvinyl alcohol in the base.In still other embodiments, the entire base may be relatively rigid andact as the skeleton.

The device may be placed on a sidewalk, walkway, driveway, vehicle orother surface either prior to snowfall, during snowfall or aftersnowfall. The device should melt at least about 1 inch of snow per hour,preferably at least about 2 inches of snow per hour, more preferably atleast about 3 inches of snow per hour, even more preferably at leastabout 4 inches of snow per hour, yet even more preferably at least about5 inches of snow per hour, and most preferably at least about 6 inchesof snow per hour. The total amount of snow melted by a single devicedepends on the amount of active ingredient present in each pelletindividually and in the device as a whole. If needed, a second (orthird, etc.) device can be used during snowfall if required based on thetype of snow (e.g., dry, powdery, wet, heavy, etc.) or the rate ofsnowfall. It is envisioned that, e.g., one device may be placed on topof another device prior to snowfall so that the amount of snow that canbe melted is effectively doubled (or three devices may be used to triplethe amount of snow that can be melted, etc.). It is also envisioned thatafter the pellets in the first device have been used up and they and thebase have become run-off, then a second device can be placed where thefirst device had previously been located; a third device, etc., can beplaced where the second device had previously been located.

In embodiments that contain potassium acetate as the active ingredient,the pellets contain about 0.1-20 grams potassium acetate. In a preferredembodiment, the pellets contain about 0.5-10 grams potassium acetate; ina more preferred embodiment, the pellets contain about 1-8 gramspotassium acetate; in an even more preferred embodiment, the pelletscontain about 1.5-6 grams potassium acetate; in yet an even morepreferred embodiment, the pellets contain about 2-5 grams potassiumacetate; in a most preferred embodiment, the pellets contain betweenabout 3-4 grams potassium acetate. In a preferred embodiment, thepellets contain about 3 grams potassium acetate. It is envisioned thateach of the pellets in a device may contain the same, or different,amounts of active ingredient, such as potassium acetate.

In some embodiments, a rounded pellet with a diameter of about 1 inchand a thickness of about 0.25 inches may melt about 6 inches of snow inabout 45 minutes.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, the device may include a devicefor elevating the melting point of ice and snow. The device may includea plurality of pellets which may include an active ingredient. Eachpellet within the plurality of pellets may include at least an undersideand a topside. The active ingredient may be selected from the groupconsisting of chloride salts, organic compounds, alcohols or mixturesthereof. The device may also include a base including a water-solublesheet joined to one of the underside or topside of each pellet of theplurality of pellets. The base may define at least one hole through atop surface and bottom surface of the base allowing for easy dispersionof the active ingredient

In an embodiment, each pellet of the plurality of pellets is thermallyjoined to the base.

In yet another embodiment, each pellet of the plurality of pellets isadhered to the base using an organic glue.

In another embodiment, each pellet of the plurality of pellets has athickness, which increases along the base.

In yet another embodiment, each pellet of the plurality of pelletscontains at least one color additive.

In another embodiment, the base has a border tracing at least oneoutside edge of the base.

In yet another embodiment, the border is flexible.

In another embodiment, the plurality of pellets contains at least onesugar excipient.

In yet another embodiment, the device has an internal support structurewhich enables a folded state wherein there are at least two layers ofthe base.

In another embodiment, the plurality of pellets is made of at least onesugar excipient and a member selected from the chemical group with acrystalline structure including chloride salts, acetates, silicates, andformates.

In yet another embodiment, the crystalline structure is apolycrystalline structure that is capable of fragmenting, aiding indispersion of the solid organic salt.

In another embodiment, the border is plastic.

In yet another embodiment, the border comprises a water-solublematerial.

In another embodiment, the border has an abrasive texture.

In yet another embodiment, the plurality of pellets is made of granulesthat aid in runoff of the solid organic salt.

In another embodiment, the water-soluble material is less soluble thanthe plurality of pellets.

In yet another embodiment, each pellet of the plurality of pellets issupplemented with pH buffers tailored to keep a runoff between a pH of5.5 and 8.5.

In another embodiment, the border is configured to be attached to asecond border.

In yet another embodiment, the base includes at least one perforation,the at least one perforation enabling the user to select a desired sizeof the base.

In another embodiment, the plurality of pellets is composed of at least5% Sugar and at most 95% Potassium Acetate.

Additional aspects related to this disclosure are set forth, in part, inthe description which follows, and, in part, will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of this disclosure.

It is to be understood that both the forgoing and the followingdescriptions are exemplary and explanatory only and are not intended tolimit the claimed disclosure or application thereof in any mannerwhatsoever.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood when considered in viewof the attached drawings, in which like reference characters indicatelike parts. The drawings, however, are presented merely to illustratethe preferred embodiment of the invention without limiting the inventionin any manner whatsoever.

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a view of four different embodiments of a pellet of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a base sheet embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a view of four different embodiments of a pellet of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the device 1 may include a plurality ofpellets 2 connected to base ribbons 4 that are woven together. The baseribbons 4 may be inserted through holes 6 in the pellets 2, or the baseribbons 4 may be attached to the pellets 2 by other means known to thoseskilled in the art. The base ribbons 4 can also attach to a border 8which can be the skeleton. A magnified view 10 is also provided. It ispreferred that the rigid border 8 be on at least two sides of the device1, preferably opposing sides; however, the rigid border 8 may also be ontwo adjacent sides of the device 1. Additionally, the rigid border 8 mayalso be on the third and/or fourth sides of the device 1. If the device1 is of a different shape (e.g., round, oval, etc.; not shown), then itis preferred that the border be at least about 25% rigid border, evenmore preferred is at least about 33% of the border, yet even morepreferred is at least about 50% of the border and most preferred is atleast about 75% of the border. In some embodiments, the border is about100% rigid border. In some embodiments, the border is less than about25% rigid border; in some embodiments the border is about 0% rigidborder. In some embodiments (not shown), the device does not include aborder; rather, the skeleton may be in a different shape, such as an X.In such an embodiment, the skeleton may comprise two arms, each armrunning diagonally from one corner to an opposite corner (therebyforming an X). In another embodiment that does not include a border, theskeleton may be in the form of a cross or a plus-sign. In such anembodiment, the skeleton may comprise two arms, each arm running fromthe center (or off-center) of a side to the center (or off-center) ofthe opposite side (thereby forming a cross or a plus-sign). The skeletonmay also be in any other shape that provides sufficient rigidity to thedevice to be easily handled and manipulated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pellets of the invention may be rounded or oval.While any shape is acceptable, it is preferred that corners (which maybreak off) be minimized or eliminated. Therefore, it is preferred thatthe pellets be in shapes that are rounded or have rounded corners. Eachof the pellets in the device may be the same as, or different from, eachother.

As also shown in FIG. 2, the pellets may be of varying thicknesses (2 a,2 b, 2 c, 2 d) in order to provide for a device that can melt greater orlesser amounts of snow. While in some embodiments the pellets (2 a, 2 b,2 c, 2 d) have flat faces (12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d), in other embodimentsthe pellets may have three dimensional “faces” including convex andconcave, as well as various textures. Therefore, the pellets may bespheres, cubes or other three-dimensional shapes.

As shown in FIG. 4, two (or more) devices 1 may be connected together byperforations 14 to enable a user to easily select the desired size ofthe device. In some embodiments, the perforations 14 are not present, soa user can cut the device to the desired size. However, even inembodiments that include perforations 14, a user can cut the device atother locations in order to obtain a device of a desired size. WhileFIG. 4 shows perforations 14 on only one border, the perforations mayalso be on more than one border so that one device 1 is connecteddirectly to two or more (not shown) devices 1. The perforations 14 alsoallow for the devices 1 to easily be folded on top of each other forplacement into, e.g., a shipping box. The perforations 14 may be made inthe border, whether rigid or not (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 5, the present disclosure may include a base sheetembodiment 500. Such an embodiment may include a base sheet 506. Thebase sheet 506 may include a water-soluble substrate. The plurality ofpellets may include pellets 502 which do not define a hole completelyintersecting each pellet. The base sheet embodiment 500 may define atleast one hole 504 to aid in dispersion of an active of the pellets 502.The holes 504 may be placed in a grid like pattern. However, the holes504 may be placed in any arrangement. The diameter of the holes 504 maybe less than the diameter of one of the pellets 502. Alternatively, thediameter of the holes may be any suitable size that allows for thepassage of an active ingredient solution and known to those skilled inthe art.

Turning to FIG. 6, each pellet may have a completely flat face 602 a-d.However, the face of each pellet may have any of the earlier mentionedshapes such as concave or convex. The pellets in FIG. 6 may also havevarying thicknesses 2 a-d.

FIG. 8 shows more than one base sheet embodiment 500 removably attachedby a perforated border 14. The perforated border may allow forindividual base sheet embodiments 500 to be easily detached from oneanother. However, the base sheet 506 may be torn with sufficient forceat a location away from the perforation 14.

Variations, modifications and alterations to the above detaileddescription will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All suchvariations, modifications and/or alternatives are intended to fallwithin the scope of the present invention, limited only by the appendedclaims.

All documents, patents and other literature referred to herein areincorporated by reference in their entirety.

The term “comprising” as used in the following claims is an open-endedtransitional term that is intended to include additional elements notspecifically recited in the claims. The term “consisting essentially of”as used in the following claims is a partially closed transitionalphrase and is intended to include the recited elements plus anyunspecified elements that do not materially affect the basic and novelcharacteristics of the claims. For example, an adhesive laminate (theoutermost layer of the applied patch) embossed or printed with indiciawould still be included in the meaning of “consisting essentially of”,even if not specifically recited. The term “consisting of” as used inthe following claims is intended to indicate that the claims arerestricted to the recited elements.

Various measurements, such as amounts of ingredients and sizes, may bepresented in a range format. It is to be understood that such rangeformat is used merely for convenience and brevity and should beinterpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitlyrecited as the limits of the range, but also to include all theindividual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that rangeas if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited.

For example, a size range of 1 to 10 inches should be interpreted toinclude not only the explicitly recited size limits of 1 and 10, butalso to include individual sizes such as 2 inches, 3 inches, 4 inches,etc. as well as sub-ranges such as 2 to 6 inches, 4 to 7 inches, etc.This interpretation should apply regardless of the breadth of the rangeor the characteristic being described.

It should be noted that it is envisioned that any feature or elementthat is positively identified in this document may also be specificallyexcluded as a feature or element of an embodiment of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for elevating the melting point of iceand snow, the device comprising: a plurality of pellets including anactive ingredient, each pellet of the plurality of pellets having atleast an underside and a topside; wherein the active ingredient isselected from the group consisting of chloride salts, organic compounds,alcohols or mixtures thereof; and a base including a water-soluble sheetattached to one of the underside or topside of each pellet of theplurality of pellets; wherein the base defines at least one hole througha top surface and bottom surface of the base allowing for easydispersion of the active ingredient.
 2. The device of claim 1, whereineach pellet of the plurality of pellets is thermally joined to the base.3. The device of claim 1, wherein each pellet of the plurality ofpellets is adhered to the base using an organic glue.
 4. The device ofclaim 1, wherein each pellet of the plurality of pellets has athickness, which increases along the base.
 5. The device of claim 1,wherein each pellet of the plurality of pellets contains at least onecolor additive.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the base has a bordertracing at least one outside edge of the base.
 7. The device of claim 6,wherein the border is flexible.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of pellets contain at least one sugar excipient.
 9. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the device has an internal support structure whichenables a folded state wherein there are at least two layers of thebase.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pellets iscomposed of at least one sugar excipient and a member selected from thechemical group with a crystalline structure including chloride salts,acetates, silicates, and formates.
 11. The device of claim 10, whereinthe crystalline structure is a polycrystalline structure that is capableof fragmenting, aiding in dispersion of the solid organic salt.
 12. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein the border comprises a plastic.
 13. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein the border comprises a water-solublematerial.
 14. The device of claim 6, wherein the border has an abrasivetexture.
 15. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pellets iscomposed of granules, the granules aiding in runoff of the solid organicsalt.
 16. The device of claim 1, wherein the water-soluble material isless soluble than the plurality of pellets.
 17. The device of claim 1,wherein each pellet of the plurality of pellets is supplemented with pHbuffers tailored to keep a runoff between a pH of 5.5 and 8.5.
 18. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein the border is configured to be attached to asecond border.
 19. The device of claim 1, wherein the base includes atleast one perforation, the at least one perforation enabling the user toselect a desired size of the base.
 20. The device of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of pellets is composed of at least 5% Sugar and at most95% Potassium Acetate.